The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire having an improved off-road traveling performance, and more particularly to an off-road tire capable of cornering at a high speed to shorten a lap time in races such as motocross.
For vehicles traveling on unpaved roads or rough terrain such as motocross motorcycles and rally cars are usually employed pneumatic tires having a block type tread pattern in which a plurality of blocks are provided in a tread portion, as disclosed for example in JP-A-11-078427. These tires having a block pattern can secure a driving force on a soft ground such as mud or sand by blocks biting into the ground.
In recent years, increase in cornering speed on rough terrain is strongly desired in order to shorten the lap time in auto or motorcycle races. In general, for increasing the cornering speed, it is required to reduce a skid between a tire and a ground surface during steering, in other words, to increase a friction force between them.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an off-road pneumatic tire capable of increasing the cornering speed.
This and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter.